Just a Bit of Time
by GoldenDragonClouds
Summary: Hermione travels back in time against her will and becomes Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts in the year of 1957, unwittingly drawing the attentions of a certain Professor of Transfiguration and a rising Dark Lord to herself. Personal request by thoutheethy. Longer summary inside. MMHGTR.


**Just a Bit of Time****  
**A Harry Potter Fanfiction  
**By: **GoldenDragonClouds

When an accident in the Department of Mysteries' Time Room sends a 25-year-old Hermione Granger back in time, she finds herself at the Hogwarts campus in the summer of 1957, the year Dumbledore is made Headmaster of Hogwarts. Not knowing what to do, Hermione takes up a pseudonym and begins her life as Jean Forrest, Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, unwittingly drawing the attentions of a certain Professor of Transfiguration and a rising Dark Lord to herself. Personal request by thoutheethy.

MM/HG/TR

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

* * *

_**Chapter 1: In the Department of Time**_

Heads turned when Harry Potter strode into the Department of Magical Equipment Control offices, accompanied by one of his best friends and fellow Auror, Ron Weasley.

It was seven years after the downfall of the Dark Lord Voldemort and since Harry had started working in the Ministry, Hermione mused, but that didn't stop the Ministry workers from staring at the hero of the Second Wizarding War wherever he went. She shook her head, amused, as she got up to greet her friends.

"Harry! Ron!"

Harry, having previously been informed of Hermione's change of appearance from Ginny, Hermione's closest female companion, merely smiled and waved back, walking towards her desk space. Ron, on the other hand, stopped and stared.

"What happened to your _hair_?" he asked, completely bewildered.

Hermione and Harry exchanged a look and sniggered.

"She cut it, Ron. That much should be obvious." Harry said, rolling his eyes.

"But… it's so _short_?"

Hermione only laughed nervously, suddenly feeling overly self-conscious about her new looks. "I felt like having a change. I haven't had a drastic haircut since primary school, so…"

Ron's baffled expression changed into a fond smile as he fingered her now boyish hair. "Don't worry Hermione. You still look beautiful."

Hermione blushed slightly, her own hands flying to her hair. Her off-again, on-again relationship with Ron that annoyed Harry and Ginny so much was currently off-again, but Ron still never failed to make her blush whenever he gave her a compliment as such. She didn't miss the look Harry gave her from behind Ron and gave him a slight glare. Harry only raised his eyebrows in return.

Hermione, shaking her head slightly, stepped back from Ron's reach to look at both Harry and Ron in their faces.

"So. What are you here for today?"

"Can't a man stop by to see one of his best friends?" Harry asked teasingly, but was quick to answer her question when she raised an eyebrow. "We were coming over to ask you if you were free for dinner at Ginny and my place tonight but ran into someone _else_ here to see you."

"Someone else…?"

"_Oi_, Nev, come in already!" Ron called at the door, where one Neville Longbottom could be seen peeking in through the door. Ron rolled his eyes and sauntered over to pull their friend through. "You used to work here too mate! Act more comfortable, for Merlin's sake."

"In the Auror office, maybe, but I've never been here before," Neville said, looking around, then stopped dead when he saw Hermione. "Merlin, Hermione, what happened to your hair?"

"I cut it, obviously," Hermione said matter-of-factly, a mildly annoyed look on her face. "Is it _that_ different? Some of my co-workers didn't even _recognize_ me today. Thought I was an intern..."

Ron and Harry both snorted, and Hermione whirled on the two men snickering behind her. "It's not funny!" she exclaimed, only causing them to laugh harder.

"Hermione, Hermione," Harry gasped, trying to catch his breath. "It _is_ a nice haircut, really, but seeing as you're… rather famous for your… _wild_ hair, this _does_ make quite a difference."

"It _is_ a bit of a shock, really, Hermione," Neville said, glancing at his watch, "But either way. I'm here to submit the finalized request for the use of a Time-Turner for one of my students?"

Harry and Ron started and Hermione's eyes widened. "Oh! I completely forgot about that! I'm so sorry Neville!"

Neville chuckled as Hermione took the file of forms, letters, and transcripts from him and sat down at her desk, rifling through them to check for any errors or discrepancies at lightning speed. Harry and Ron sent them curious looks, but Neville stayed quiet and Hermione was too focused on the file in front of her to notice.

When Hermione finally put down the last form, closed the file, and smiled up at Neville, he sighed in relief.

"Everything seems to be in order," Hermione said, standing up. "I'll just give this into my Division Head and we can go straight down to Level 9 to collect a Time-Turner." she then stopped to give Neville a stern look. "You _do_ realize I'm only letting this happen because she's only requested to take one extra class."

Neville nodded seriously before cracking a smile. "Imagine my surprise when I learnt after all these years that you were using one in Third Year."

As the door to the Head of the Department of Magical Equipment Control's office closed with Hermione inside, Ron and Harry turned to Neville.

"So there'll be a Third Year Gryffindor Hermione at Hogwarts this year?" Harry asked, and Neville nodded again.

"She's a half-blood and has lighter color and smoother hair than Hermione does, but that doesn't make her any less Hermione. Her closest friends are a black-haired boy and redhead, even. Sometimes it's like seeing you three at school all over again, except I'm teaching now."

Ron whistled. "Can you just imagine? If Mione looked like Fleur… _ouch_! What was that for?"

Harry pretending innocence, widened his eyes. "Who, me? I didn't do anything…"

At this point the door to the Head of Department's office opened once more and Hermione walked out, beaming.

"It's all through! Come on, Neville!" Hermione hooked her arm through Neville's, talking excitedly all the way to the lifts.

"Reckon she's glad to see him?" Ron muttered to Harry, the two following Hermione and Neville closely. Harry only laughed.

"She's just happy to help someone like her, I think."

* * *

Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Ron stepped out of the elevator at Level 9 and were immediately greeted by a sallow-faced wizard with a raspy voice. An Unspeakable.

"Miss Granger, Professor Longbottom," he croaked, and Hermione nodded at him.

"Hello, Carr."

Carr then noticed Harry and Ron behind them and frowned. "I believe you are not authorized to be here, Aurors Potter and Weasley," he said, and Harry and Ron paled.

"Er. Well…"

"We'll get going then. Bye."

Hermione stifled her laughter as she watched them scramble for the lift and close the door, but turned to face Neville, who had stiffened beside her.

"It looks the same…" he whispered, and she nodded.

"I haven't been here since either."

"If you would please," Neville and Hermione turned to see Carr holding out strips of cloth to them… oh. Blindfolds, she realized.

"Mister Carr, both Professor Longbottom and I were here at the Department of Ministries nine years ago during the battle…"

"If you _please_, Miss, Professor."

Hermione and Neville took the blindfolds without another word. Once the strips of cloth wrapped themselves around Hermione and Neville's heads snugly Carr lead them through the department in silence, the only sound around them being the tapping of their feet and occasionally, those of other Unspeakables around them.

Once their destination had been reached the blindfolds lifted themselves off, and Hermione and Neville found themselves blinking in the centre of a room full of dancing light and the ticking of clocks. Carr was with them next to a desk, on which was a medium-sized box of what looked like Time-Turners of various sizes, and there were at least five other Unspeakables in the room, rifling through various heavy tomes and tinkering with glasses, clocks, and a pile of what looked like was sparkling sand.

It was the Time Room, they realized, when both of them had laid their eyes on the crystal bell jar. Hermione shuddered as unbridled memories of the battle and the Death Eater with the shrunken, baby's head came rushing back…

When Neville and Hermione had finished looking around, they found that Carr was holding out a silver pendant to Hermione expectantly.

"It is my understanding, Miss Granger, that you are intimately acquainted with this particular magical object?" he said softly, handing over the Time-Turner, and Hermione nodded, receiving it gently. It was almost identical to the one she had used so many years ago. Had it been ten now? Eleven?

"How many are there now?" she asked, almost afraid. She and Neville had both been participants in the fight that had destroyed the entire stock of Ministry Time-Turners nine years ago, and from what she had heard, Time-Turners were dreadfully difficult to repair or create.

"Not very many, I'm afraid," Carr replied, giving them a knowing look. He gestured for Hermione to hand the Time Turner over to Neville and she did so, Neville peering curiously at the object now in his hands.

"Well then, Professor Longbottom, allow me to instruct you in the use of a Time-Turner…"

As Carr pointed out the different features of the hourglass pendant to Neville, Hermione found her gaze wandering through the room around her. The clocks and bookshelves and bell jar looked almost identical to what she had seen nine years ago, but there were definite changes to the setting. Perhaps it was because there were actual Unspeakables working in the room, she mused, and she found herself inching closer to an Unspeakable who looked to be creating a minuscule hourglass out of a pile of shining sand, using a technique that looked rather similar to Muggle glass-blowing.

"Miss Granger," Carr called, voice rasping, and Hermione turned around to stride back towards where he and Neville were next to the desk with the box of Time-Turners and had almost, would have reached them if, only if, an explosion hadn't happened behind her.

Hermione whirled around, eyes wide open and taking in the scene before her. A desk at which two Unspeakables had been working at had exploded, setting off a chain reaction that Hermione's mind quickly worked out was headed straight towards the desk besides Neville -

For a moment Hermione's logic fled her and she hurled herself at Neville and Carr, shoving them violently out of the way just before the desk now next to her exploded, sending glass shards and silver and gold shrapnel everywhere and suddenly a cloud of sparkling dust plumed up from behind her and Neville was shouting and Carr was holding him off and golden light was enveloping her and the sound of the ticking clocks became too much and -

Blackness.

* * *

"_Hermione_!" Neville strained himself against Carr, wand out in his right hand and Time-Turner dangling uselessly in his left, and Carr, surprisingly strong for such a sickly-looking man, was holding him just off, out of the cloud of dust that had swallowed Hermione.

There were Unspeakables all around them now, containing the dust in a glowing magical barrier and pushing down forcefully for the dust to settle and Neville kept expecting for Hermione to appear from the cloud, to stumble out coughing and reassure him she was alright -

"_Where's Hermione_!" he shouted, and while Carr was catching his breath, another Unspeakable came up to him, making an apologetic gesture.

"I'm sorry, Professor Longbottom, she-"

"_Where is she_!" he was frantic now. He couldn't lose another friend now, not all these years after the war had finally ended - Harry and Ron would _kill _him -

"I'm afraid she's gone, Professor Longbottom," Carr croaked, having regained his breath. "Considering the amount of Dust she was covered in there is no telling when in the past she has ended up…"

Neville slowly staggered back, sinking to the floor. Only then did he notice the Time-Turner in his hand. His eyes glinted and he stood up quickly, hastily, fingers fumbling to get the gold chain over his neck - until Carr snatched the pendant away from him.

"The event has already happened, Professor Longbottom. There is no way to prevent it."

Neville backed away from the Unspeakables to reach the door to the Time Room, and without bothering to go through correct Ministry procedures, without bothering to make sure his student's Time-Turner was still available for his student, ran out of the room into the dark circular room of the Department of Mysteries, into the corridor towards the lifts, and slammed at the button for number two, pacing the small confines of the lift the entire way up to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

As soon as the lift stopped moving and the grilles slid open Neville hurtled into the corridors and burst into the Auror Office without bothering to knock.

"I need to see Harry Potter and Ron Weasley," he blurted out, and without waiting for an answer raced towards their adjacent desks where Harry and Ron had already started to stand up.

"There's been an accident." he spouted, looking fearfully at his friends. Harry and Ron seemed to understand immediately.

"Where's Hermione?" Ron demanded, glancing behind Neville as if he expected Hermione to appear at the door any second now.

They looked at Neville's stricken face expectantly, but Neville only closed his eyes and shook his head, the tears forming in his eyes adding to their growing horror.

"That's the thing - she's gone."

* * *

There was a pounding in her head, no doubt caused by the explosion, and she squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to blink it out. Hermione groaned, pulling herself up into a sitting position to look around at her surroundings. The bright golden light had faded from her vision, replaced by a soft evening glow of natural sunlight. Instead of the cold stone floors of the Department of Mysteries there was soft summer grass underneath her and a looming forest just behind her. Just where was she?

Hermione received her answer as soon as she raised her head properly to take a look around. There was Hogwarts, in all it's glory - complete with all the towers that were missing since the battle nine years ago miraculously restored. Hermione gaped at the sight before her - Professor McGonagall - _Minerva_, she corrected herself, as the professor had asked her to call her by her first name - had told her it would take longer than ten years to completely restore the castle to its former glory and Hermione had just visited Hogwarts a weeks ago at the end of term to meet and interview a few Sixth Year students hoping to work for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement after their graduation.

At a sudden thought Hermione started, and despite her worsening headache she bolted up to run down to the shore of the lake near the Forbidden Forest where Professor Dumbledore's grave… was not there.

Here she started to panic, having realized and remembered what had happened just prior in the Department of Mysteries with the explosion and Time-Turners…

"Oh Merlin, _no_…" Hermione whispered, horrified. "I've gone back in time!"

Panicking, she started to glance everywhere and anywhere, tears forming in her eyes. Where, no, _when_ was she? What time period? What if she had landed in a time a hundred years in the past? Or worse, what if her past self was at school at this time?

Suddenly she caught sight of a silver bearded man in long periwinkle blue robe running down the slope of the hill with his wand pointing towards her and a young witch trailing behind him. It was Dumbledore.

Hermione felt like crying at seeing her old Headmaster alive and well again, but knew that it would be unwise to, especially in a situation such as time-travel in years. She instead raised her hands in the universal sign of surrender, blinking away her tears.

Dumbledore motioned for the young woman to stay out of the way before walking closer to Hermione, keeping his wand casually pointed at her even when he reached her. It was the elder wand, she noticed, and noted that she must have landed in a time after the defeat of Grindelwald at 1945. But Dumbledore's beard wasn't white as it was during her time at school. Perhaps this was before she was born?

"I am Albus Dumbledore, as you presumably know, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Who are you and how have you managed to Apparate into the wards of our school?" his eyes twinkled as he spoke in a light voice, but there was an underlying steeliness in his tone, and Hermione realized he didn't recognize her. She'd definitely landed before her first year, then. Probably.

It was only Hermione's quick mind that saved her from embarrassing herself, or worse, revealing her name.

"Jean," she said, taking her middle name as to not tell a full lie. Calling herself 'Hermione' would be a bad idea, and calling herself 'Granger' would be worse. Unless she somehow made herself out to be related to Hector Dagworth-Granger, who she would not even know whether or not had relatives alive in whichever time period she had landed in. "Forrest. Jean Forrest," she added, noting the Forbidden Forest looming right near her

Dumbledore's eyes bore into hers and Hermione realized he knew she was not telling the truth, but she held his gaze, raising her Occlumency barriers against his probing Legilimency. A slightly surprised look crossed the Professor's gaze before his eyes hardened again. What could she do to gain his trust?

"If I may, Professor, I wish to ask you a question." Hermione whispered, lest the young woman lingering a distance away behind him hear her. When Dumbledore nodded, she took a deep breath and continued. "What year is this, Professor?"

"And when are you from, Miss… Forrest?" he asked after a moment's pause. Hermione saw Dumbledore exchanging a brief nod with the young woman - had she seen her before? Perhaps as an older woman? - before the woman gathered up her skirts to run towards the castle."We will have to continue this in my office, and introductions will have to wait until after further explanations, I'm afraid. If you would?" He turned and extended an arm behind her back, starting to guide her towards the castle.

* * *

Hogwarts was exactly the same as she remembered from her school days. The only difference was that there were no students loitering around in the hallways, meaning it was probably summer - even during Christmas or final exams there was always someone out if it was before sunset. Hermione felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her the way it did every time she visited her old school, although this time the feeling was intensified as she was walking next to her old headmaster. Who was, unfortunately, probably very and extremely suspicious of her.

Dumbledore's actual office was not as embellished as it was during her school years. There was a notable lack of a few bookshelves and many of the trinkets that she had seen in Harry's memories were not yet there. There were, however, large piles of parchment and books on the Headmaster's desk.

Dumbledore floated them aside onto the floor with a wave of his wand, summoning a bottle of what looked to be wine and a couple of goblets from a nearby cabinet and then gesturing for Hermione to take a seat with a "Won't you sit down, Miss Forrest?" in one fluid movement. Hermione blinked. She had definitely never seen him do that before. Saying thank you, she lowered herself into the chair in front of the Headmaster's desk as Dumbledore waved his wand at the lamps around the room, causing their fires to burn brilliantly.

Now that she saw her old Headmaster in a light other than that of a sinking sun, or from flickering candles in the stone hallways of Hogwarts, she could see that his beard and hair were not entirely silver but still had strands of red here and there. His face was less lined and his body did not sag with weariness like it had the last time she had seen him alive. Her eyes threatened to fill with tears again and she was still valiantly fighting to keep them dry when Dumbledore finally spoke.

"Am I correct in the assumption, Miss Forrest, that you are indeed from the future?"

Hermione paused for a moment but then nodded, accepting the goblet of wine Dumbledore handed to her. She tasted it - it was pleasantly spiced.

"And when would you be from, Miss Forrest?"

"From the year two-thousand and-" She stopped herself. "Professor I couldn't _possibly_ tell you when I am from!" She exclaimed, aghast. Dumbledore only smiled slightly and sat down on his own chair.

"The answer to your earlier question, Miss Forrest, is that it is currently August of 1957."

"_1957_!" Hermione gasped, feeling faint. She was back almost fifty years! Her parents had not even been born at this time! Not even her friends' parents! Well, perhaps Ron's parents had been...

"Presuming that you are indeed from a time after the year of two-thousand, Miss Forrest, there are security measures to be taken with your appearance here. Jean Forrest, of course, is a pseudonym?"

Hermione nodded. "It's nothing close to my real name professor." Not true, but she honestly didn't think it would be possible for someone to trace back from "Jean Forrest" to "Hermione Jean Granger".

Dumbledore nodded. "Fair enough. And how did you manage to land yourself here, Ms. Forrest?"

"Well I work at the Ministry - _will_ work at the Ministry - if you can see by my outer robes here -" she laughed nervously. "And I was caught in an accident involving several Time-Turners… I ended up here on the grounds, in this time."

"You _are_ British." It wasn't a question.

"I attended Hogwarts, of course. I graduated top of my class and I went straight into the Ministry afterwards. I was a Gryffindor and you -" Hermione stopped herself, mortified that she let herself prattle on. She had almost told him about his future!

Dumbledore's smile seemed to relax a bit. "You must have been a remarkable student, Ms. Forrest. How did you do on your O.W.L. and N.E.W.T.s?"

Hermione rattled off her O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. scores as if her life depended on her divulging that information to the Headmaster before asking why.

Dumbledore's eyes merely twinkled.

"One last thing Ms. Forrest… your age."

"Twenty-five. It was June in… um…. when I came from as well and I should turn twenty-six in September. Why do you ask, professor?"

"It just so happens that our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher has recently left our school and we are looking for a replacement. It seems that you are perfectly qualified for such a job - would you possibly be interested in such a position after having had a job at the Ministry of Magic, Miss Forrest?"

While his voice quite merry, there was an undertone of warning in his speech, and Hermione knew he was protecting her. Despite the nagging voice in her head telling her he was also keeping a close eye on her, she nodded firmly, smiling at the headmaster. "I would love to, Professor Dumbledore."

"Well then," Dumbledore said, standing up and moving to offer Hermione his hand. She took it, and he smiled warmly at her. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Professor Jean Forrest. And please. Call me Albus."

Hermione shook his hand firmly, smiling back at her once headmaster and now employer. "Only if you call me Jean, Albus."

Dumbledore released her hand and sat down, gesturing for her to re-take her seat once more. His expression became serious once more. "Now. Back to business. We need a cover story for you… Jean."

* * *

Hermione lay in the bed in her new quarters pondering her predicament. She was in the past, she knew that much. Over fifty years in the past. Nineteen fifty-seven. Some mental math had helped her figure that a few people she knew would have been born by this point in time, but not the majority. She guessed that none of her friends' - or old enemies' - parents would be old enough to attend Hogwarts yet, but she wasn't certain. Perhaps a few teachers? Professors Snape and Burbage were too young, as was Professors Babbling, and Professor Sinistra was probably even younger than her parents. Professors McGonagall and Sprout? Perhaps. Dumbledore was obviously the Headmaster and she knew from Harry that Slughorn taught even during Voldemort's time at Hogwarts, so perhaps he was still teaching at this time.

Were there any others she knew at the school, student or faculty? Speaking of faculty, she was now the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor of the school. Would she be a good teacher? Harry and Ron had always said she was. Was this before or after the curse had been placed on the position? Was it a good idea for her to take the position in the first place? How powerful was Voldemort at this time?

She could almost hear Harry and Ron telling her to calm down, to relax, but personally thought with a bit of spite that at least Harry might be going through the same whirlwind of emotions and questions if he had been stuck in the same situation as her.

Speaking of her friends, would she even be able to return to her time? What were her friends doing now? What was going on in the Time Room? She had never heard of time travel in years, let alone decades, in any of the references to time travel she had ever read, and while traveling back in time was widely regarded as possible, traveling forwards was not. Dumbledore hadn't even stopped to assume a way might have been discovered in the far future, Hermione realized, and shook her head. There was no use crying over spilt milk.

Sighing, Hermione turned over in her bed - a bed much too wide for one person, in her opinion - and attempted to sleep once more.

Sleep didn't come for a long while.

* * *

"What do you _mean_, she's _gone_?!" Ron burst out at Neville, who was swiftly turning as white as a sheet. "She was just with you!"

"Neville?" Harry questioned, eyebrow raised. Neville swallowed, looking around the room full of wizards who were staring at them.

"Let's take this outside."

"No," interrupted a raspy voice. "Let us take this to my office." The three wizards turned to see the Unspeakable who had escorted Hermione and Neville to the Department of Mysteries. "There are too many things you should not have had access to that you know already."

The three heroes of the Second Wizarding War silently complied with the Unspeakable's demands, but the silent track down to Carr's office proved too much for Ron, who whirled on Carr just as the office door closed shut.

"Where is she?" He demanded again. "Where is Hermione?"

"As of the current moment, we do not know."

"What do you _mean_ you don't know! She was right there with you!

"Ron-"

"Auror Weasley, will you _please_ calm down!"

"I will _not_ calm down! Hermione's my… _our _best friend and-!" Ron looked for a moment, seemingly searching for assistance. "She _can't_ just disappear!" He ended weakly.

"Ron. He's trying to tell us something. Let him speak."

"Thank you Auror Potter. Now if you'll-"

"But Ron is right, Mr. Carr," Harry continued. "Hermione's our friend and an an esteemed war hero. The public won't be silent about this if and when the press gets a hold of this news."

"Which they probably undoubtedly have, Auror Potter. This story will most likely be on the front page of the Prophet tomorrow thanks to your friend's earlier outburst!" Ron groaned, head in his hands, but Harry and Neville leaned forward, waiting for more.

"But it sounds like you have a solution, Mr. Carr?" Neville asked, but Harry took it one step further.

"So. What _can_ you do?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

This is an Epic requested to me by a friend of mine, and really something that I have been working on for quite some time. Hopefully, it is as good as I tried to make it.

Reviews are love!

Ja Ne,  
~Golden


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